5 Questions With ... author Kevin Gard on his whale children's book

Huntington Beach native Kevin Gard, a textile artist and father of three, recently published "Oh, Sully!" a children's book about a whale. PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN GARD

Huntington Beach native Kevin Gard, a textile artist and father of three, recently published "Oh, Sully!," a children's book about a whale that journeys along the Pacific coast with several birds in search of his identity. He struggles to fit in and attempts to imitate different birds until he learns to accept himself and others and embrace individuality.

Gard plans to donate 1 percent of the book's proceeds to the Surfrider Foundation and hopes to continue inspiring children through his work. The book is available for purchase on Amazon and at treeswingpress.com

We sat down with the author to talk about his book.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about the book?

A: The book is about a whale named Sully who tries to find himself and about children being who they are. The whale tries to become a hummingbird and then an ostrich and a seagull until he realizes he's a whale and he learns to appreciate that.

Q: What made you want to write this book?

A: My idea came from a sketch I had of a whale on power lines and I think the idea came from the character I had and wanting to write a book. I wanted to have my own children learn to be expressive through art. The fact that they have seen "Oh, Sully!" develop from scratch has created enthusiasm in them to make their own little books.

Q: What do you hope children will take away from the book?

A: I hope it will open their eyes to being who they are, but I'm also interested in the idea of making things. I want them to see how I created it and hopefully make them want to create something themselves. The illustrations themselves are made of fabric.

Q: What have you been doing to promote your book?

A: I've been promoting my book through blog write-ups, as well as readings through libraries, book stores and schools. I've had a lot of wonderful feedback and people sending me videos and photos of their children reading my book. It's been great to see so many people sharing the book with others and see other children besides my own thoroughly enjoying the story, the artwork and the loving characters.

I've had the opportunity to share both the story of "Oh, Sully!" and the original art work. I feel that by showing the original artwork, it creates an opportunity to share the process of book making. The interaction and the questions that have come from my readings have been fantastic. It is always a pleasure to be able to inspire kids.

Q: Can you tell me a little about the art exhibit you plan to have?

A: My plan is to eventually have (the book) in galleries to show the kids the process from the original sketches and the idea to the finished product and take them through the process from point A to B to C to encourage them to create and show them the process of how to make anything really.

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